One true love | Eddie Munson

27 : E D D I E

. . .

Tuesday.

Middle of the day. I left school two classes earlier than I normally do, because we needed to rehearse. Gareth, Jeff, and Phil were with me backstage at The Hideout. I don't think I saw her once today. I lied. I saw her during lunch today, except she wasn't in the cafeteria, she was outside. I didn't bother to go out there, I was too interested in perfecting the setlist for tonight. I had caught a glimpse of her and she was wearing her cheer uniform, which I found strange because it was Tuesday and she had told me she had practice Mondays and Thursdays.

Hailey's routine of her walking over to the farthest trash can from her table so she would catch sight of me and kiss my cheek before walking back over to her table, that routine, broken only for today because she was outside instead at her usual table. Phil would normally roll his eyes and Gareth and Jeff would go crazy seeing me happy with Hailey, but she wasn't at lunch today, so it didn't happen. I would get really happy whenever I saw Monica slip little notes in Gareth's locker and the smile on his face when he would read them just made me really proud.

. . .

The usual crowd of drunks were coming in. I worried because it was nearing the time they would start performing. I didn't care to see anyone else. All I wanted to see was Hailey shining a smile from the center of the room and the light from one of the neon beer signs making her skin glow.

"Nobody's here yet. What if she forgot? Or what if she did have cheer practice and totally forgot about this?" I panicked.

Gareth shook his head, "I don't know man, maybe she's just running late." He shrugged, "We still have half an hour."

"She has to be here or else I'm not starting the show." I stood my ground.

"Eddie you can't, we're getting paid, something we rarely do, because we promised Greg people would be here." Phil stated, "We're playing with or without her here."

Greg was the owner of The Hideout, he was a close friend of my uncle, "And who are you to say what I can and cannot do? This is my goddamn band. I was the one who brought us all together and if we fall apart... I'm going to be the one does it too. You understand."

They all stayed quiet, "Do you all understand?"

A bunch of murmured yeses and yeps coming from the other guys. I took another peek from the curtain, "People are showing up."

More people walked in most of them I recognized from school. I saw Abigail from Physics and Mason, one of the jocks with her. There were a lot more people showing up and the time for us to go on nearing closer and no goddamn sight of Hailey anywhere. I worried more that I saw most of the people from the cheer team and Nancy with Jonathan. Steve alone. That was weird. Hailey was always with Steve, not that it made me jealous- it still kinda did but I wouldn't tell her that- but now I didn't know where she was. Was she on her way?

. . .

"Ten minutes Greg, that's all we need." I begged him.

"Fine, but if in ten minutes y'all ain't ready, I'm canceling the show." He said firmly, his tone piercing through my core.

I sighed and got on the stage with the band, giving into the fact that Hailey wouldn't be here.

. . .

Our Corroded Coffin, banner behind us. I introduced ourselves, a slight tremble in my voice. We had never performed for a crowd this big, there was barely room to walk around. I took a better look at the crowd.

They were all wearing black shirts with a red logo. I couldn't quite make it out, until I looked at one that was closer to the stage it read, Corroded Coffin, across his chest the font looked like blood dripping from each letter. Under it was a coffin slightly opened with a skeleton inside and his arm sticking out of the coffin, his boney hand making the rock on sign. That was so cool. I've never seen anything like that, besides the hellfire shirts but I designed those with Jeff, Gareth, and Phil.